1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to watches and clocks, and, more particularly, to an illuminating, visual, time indicating device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern fashion trends dictate an ever evolving and changing of popularity wherein the clothing and accessories that are considered cutting edge today are considered passe tomorrow. In keeping with these trends, society's strong desire to be different and its willingness to be judged by the clothes that one wears, the industry is in a constant search for new and innovative styles that will help to define the next fashion trend.
Not limited strictly to clothing, this need for innovation extends to all areas of fashion, including that of accessories. Accordingly, there is a constant need for new and innovative ideas that not only create new clothing styles, but also that innovate the fashion accessory market
In the related art, several devices are disclosed that describe a dual-hemisphere timepiece with different coloring or shading. These include U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,864, issued in the name of Lorello, U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,002, issued in the name of Cash, U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,892, issued in the name of Lukens and U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,800, issued in the name of Blum.
Several patents disclose an apparatus for visually indicating elapsed time through a color change. These include U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,013, issued in the name of Bik, U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,615, issued in the name of Havel and U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,876, issued in the name of Delatorre.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,341, issued in the name of Amano describes character panel of a watch separated according to color in three wedge-shaped portions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,731, issued in the name of Massaro, discloses a child's easy-to-read timepiece.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that anticipate directly many features of the instant invention. Consequently, a need has been felt for providing a new apparatus and method for indicating time utilizing visual and graphical as well as number recognition techniques.